Petros Levounis, M.D.

Gamma hydroxybutyrate: an ethnographic study of recreational use and abuse
Lee, Steven J; Levounis, Petros
2008 Sep;40(3):245-253, Journal of psychoactive drugs
Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a psychoactive substance with complex neurophysiological activity and significant potential for abuse, addiction, and dangerous toxicity. In this study, a semistructured interview was administered to 17 subjects to investigate GHB use, including: manner of use; setting; positive and negative consequences; other drug history; and sexual practices. Respondents were overwhelmingly male, but otherwise had a broad demographic background. Settings varied from nightclubs to private use at home. There was significant variability in the drug obtained, which subjects found problematic because of the narrow therapeutic window and ease of accidental overdose. Common positive experiences included increased sexual desire, decreased sexual inhibitions, and decreased anxiety. Common negative consequences included oversedation, loss of consciousness, motor incoordination, and mental confusion. Nine subjects reported that they would use GHB again, some despite severe negative consequences. Although most subjects reported negative experiences, only three felt their use was problematic, and none sought treatment for GHB abuse or addiction. Subjects were highly drug-experienced, most commonly using MDMA, ketamine, cocaine, alcohol, and methamphetamine. Some reported that GHB could cause poor decision making in sexual situations. This effect has significant ramifications for issues such as date rape and control of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV
— id: 95844, year: 2008, vol: 40, page: 245, stat: Journal Article,

Evaluation of medical student attitudes toward alcoholics anonymous
Fazzio, Lydia; Galanter, Marc; Dermatis, Helen; Levounis, Petros
2003 Sep;24(3):175-185, Substance abuse
This is a two-phase study on attitudes of medical students toward Alcoholics Anonymous. The first phase compares views of addiction faculty to third-year medical students on the importance of spirituality in addiction treatment. We administered a questionnaire to assess attitudes toward spiritual, biological, and psychosocial approaches to addiction treatment. The faculty viewed spirituality as relatively more important in addiction treatment than did the students. The second phase was designed to assess whether medical student attitudes toward spiritually based treatments changed over the course of a psychiatry clerkship. At the beginning of the clerkship, students rated a spiritually oriented approach as important in addiction treatment as a biological approach, whereas, at the end of the clerkship, they rated the biological approach as more important. It may be important to educate medical students about the spiritual dimensions of recovery so they can integrate this into their treatment of addiction
— id: 39110, year: 2003, vol: 24, page: 175, stat: Journal Article,

Changes in appetite and eating disturbances
Levounis, Petros
Psychiatry clerkship guide St.Louis MO : Mosby, 2003,
— id: 5612, year: 2003, vol: , page: 143, stat: Chapter,

Easting disorders
Levounis, Petros
Psychiatry clerkship guide St.Louis MO : Mosby, 2003,
— id: 5620, year: 2003, vol: , page: 258, stat: Chapter,

Personality disorders
Levounis, Petros
Psychiatry clerkship guide St.Louis MO : Mosby, 2003,
— id: 5619, year: 2003, vol: , page: 248, stat: Chapter,

Using DSM-IV
Levounis, Petros; Manley, Myrl RS
Psychiatry clerkship guide St.Louis MO : Mosby, 2003,
— id: 5598, year: 2003, vol: , page: 53, stat: Chapter,

A comparison between dually diagnosed inpatients with and without Axis II comorbidity and the relationship to treatment outcome
Ross, Stephen; Dermatis, Helen; Levounis, Petros; Galanter, Marc
2003 May;29(2):263-279, American journal of drug & alcohol abuse
The presence of a personality disorder (PD) has been associated with certain types of poor treatment outcomes in patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of comorbid PDs in psychiatrically hospitalized adults with both non-SUD Axis I disorders and SUDs, and to assess the relationship between Axis II psychopathology and degree of pretreatment addiction severity and treatment outcome. METHOD: One hundred consecutive inpatients admitted to a mixed dual diagnosis inpatient unit were assessed using semistructured interviews for SUDs, non-SUD Axis I disorders, and PDs. Pretreatment severity was assessed using a modified version of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Outcome measures were assessed both during hospitalization and at an initial follow-up appointment after discharge. Statistical analyses were performed comparing dually diagnosed patients with and without Axis II psychopathology. RESULTS: A significant number (53%) of the patients met criteria for at least one personality disorder. Of the PDs, Cluster B PDs were the most prevalent, particularly borderline personality disorder (74%) and antisocial personality disorder (66%). Dually diagnosed patients without an Axis II diagnosis had less severe pretreatment severity measures. During hospitalization, patients with Axis II disorders had higher levels of psychopathology on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) subscales of sensitivity and hostility. However, there was no difference in overall degree of global improvement during hospitalization. During follow-up, patients with Axis II disorders were significantly less likely to be compliant in attending their initial follow-up appointment. CONCLUSIONS: Dual diagnosis inpatients with PDs appear to improve as much as patients without PDs during their inpatient hospitalizations; however, they appear to be less likely to be compliant with attending their initial follow-up appointment
— id: 36760, year: 2003, vol: 29, page: 263, stat: Journal Article,

Correlates of HIV transmission risk factors and considerations for interventions in homeless, chemically addicted and mentally ill patients
Levounis, Petros; Galanter, Marc; Dermatis, Helen; Hamowy, Alexander; De Leon, George
2002 ;21(3):61-72, Journal of addictive diseases
A study was conducted to ascertain correlates of HIV high risk behaviors and attitudes toward HIV. A questionnaire was administered to 103 men living in a modified therapeutic community (TC) for homeless, chemically addicted and mentally ill men. The psychiatric diagnoses of the sample population included psychotic disorders (48%), depressive disorders (36%), and bipolar disorders (16%). Forty-two percent reported that their primary substance of abuse was cocaine and another 40% named alcohol as the substance to which they were most addicted. Two logistic regression analyses were conducted, one with needle sharing as the outcome measure and one with endorsement of the need for lifestyle changes to reduce risk of HIV transmission. Cocaine users were 3.4 times more likely to have shared needles than the rest of the sample. Patients who had a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were 17 times more likely to endorse the need for lifestyle changes. The level of HIV transmission knowledge was unrelated to HIV risk behaviors or attitudes
— id: 36766, year: 2002, vol: 21, page: 61, stat: Journal Article,

Educational best practices
Stuart, Gail W; Burland, Joyce; Ganju, Vijay; Levounis, Petros; Kiosk, Stephen
2002 May;29(4-5):325-333, Administration & policy in mental health
There are few reports from the behavioral health field that focus on educational best practices. This article summarizes a panel presentation from the Annapolis Conference in which four different programs were described: (1) a provider educational initiative, (2) a tool-kit project related to evidence-based services, (3) a multidisciplinary faculty training program in addictions, and (4) an AIDS education project. While such innovative educational practices appear to be the exception rather than the norm, they do offer ideas and strategies for challenging and energizing current educational practices in behavioral health
— id: 95845, year: 2002, vol: 29, page: 325, stat: Journal Article,